WHITTIER – Don’t even think about sneaking a box of sparklers into this town.

Starting Thursday and until July 4, Whittier police officers will be enforcing the city’s ban on fireworks. Anyone caught possessing, selling or setting off fireworks faces a $1,000 fine.

To remind residents about the municipal law, signs were posted at entrances to the city.

Whittier police will have eight officers each day handling calls about fireworks, according to department spokeswoman Officer Diana Salazar.

She said it is the first time the department has done this.

“We want to make sure everyone is following the ordinance. Because it’s very dry,” Salazar said.

Whittier doesn’t allow any types of fireworks, but it almost did. A majority of the City Council voted in February to legalize the sale of “safe and sane” fireworks before the holiday and allow them to be used July 4.

A slew of residents voiced their opposition to that decision. Council members later reversed themselves and reinstated the fireworks ban.

City officials cited the lack of rain and the danger to the hillsides as a concern.

County Fire Inspector Richard Dominguez said this is one of the driest seasons on record.

“Due to lack of rain and the heat, the hills are so bone dry,” he said, adding it won’t take much of anything to set them off.

Whittier residents can still celebrate Independence Day by heading over to the city’s Fourth of July Family Picnic at the Joe Miller Field at 7630 Washington Ave. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 3p.m. and will feature games, crafts, music and food.

In other parts of Los Angeles County, officers, deputies and firefighters are also keeping extra watch.

Deputies have stepped up their enforcement in La Mirada a week before July 4.

“We will go out to areas we’d have problems before,” said sheriff’s Lt. Bob Esson.

He said La Mirada allows safe and sane fireworks only on July 4 and during certain hours.

He said extra deputies will be on patrol July 3 and 4.

Deputies also will be monitoring La Mirada’s Independence Celebration, which will be held July 3 at La Mirada Regional Park.

“And of course, we’ll be enforcing again on the 4th. We want to make it safe for everyone,” Esson said.

Montebello police Capt. Ralph Newcomb said his department tries to have as many officers as possible on duty during the holiday. He said five officers and a sergeant come in at 6 p.m. and work until 2 a.m. handling fireworks-related calls.

Code enforcement monitors sales of fireworks in the city. Newcomb said the city allows safe and sane fireworks to be sold after 10 a.m. July 1 and until July 4.

“Unfortunately, if you have safe and sane \ it invites people to shoot off the other kind,” Newcomb said.

Like Whittier, no fireworks of any kind are allowed in Pico Rivera.

Sheriff’s Lt. Dave Bobier said a couple of days before July 4, they deploy two-man cars that handle fireworks calls. And at the city bash, he said they will have a team of deputies patrolling Smith Park – on foot, in cars and on bicycles.

Bobier said they make sure to have full deployment during the 4th.

Fire Inspector Dominguez pointed out that all fireworks are prohibited in the unincorporated county areas.

County firefighters inspect all firework stands to make sure they are up to code and follow the rules, Dominguez said. They seize fireworks and also remind folks about the county’s ban on fireworks.

“We recommend that people don’t use fireworks at all. That’s what we would love to see,” he said.

Dominguez said they try to convince residents to attend local fireworks shows put on by cities or groups. People can call a hotline, (888) 654-3473, to find out what shows are in their community.

Ruby Gonzales started working for the company in 1991. Since then she has written about cities, school districts, crimes, cold cases, courts, the San Gabriel River, local history, anime, insects, forensics and the early days of the Internet when people still referred to it as the "information superhighway." Her current beat includes breaking news, crimes and courts for the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Pasadena Star News and Whittier Daily News. When not in crime reporter mode, she frequents the remaining bookstores in the San Gabriel Valley, haunts craft stores or gets dragged to eateries by a relative who is a foodie.

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